Theflagshipplants
At the heart of SOWISE+ is a first-of-its-kind industrial-scale system designed to transform two major urban waste streams into valuable bio-based materials. Hosted by project coordinator Contarina in the Province of Treviso, Italy, the SOWISE+ flagship combines two complementary production lines: one dedicated to producing PHBV from urban biowaste and another focused on upgrading cellulose recovered from post-consumer absorbent hygiene products (AHPs). Together, they demonstrate a new model of urban-industrial symbiosis in which municipal waste becomes a resource for new industrial value chains.
Biowaste-to-PHBV
flagship line
Trevignano
Province of Treviso, Italy
The main SOWISE+ production line will be installed at Contarina's existing biowaste-treatment site in Trevignano. The location already hosts full-scale composting and anaerobic digestion facilities, together with biomethane production infrastructure, providing the operational setting and stable feedstock supply required for industrial demonstration. Approximately 650 m² of the site will accommodate the new SOWISE+ equipment.
The technology builds on the process previously demonstrated through the RES URBIS project and will now be scaled up to TRL8. Urban biowaste will be converted through biological processes into PHBV, a member of the polyhydroxyalkanoate family of bio-based and biodegradable polymers. The line is designed to process around 16,500 tonnes of urban biowaste per year and produce up to 230 tonnes of PHBV annually, with 80% purity.
A digital monitoring and predictive-control system will support plant operation, helping the process adapt to changes in the composition of the incoming biowaste while maintaining stable production and product quality. Residual streams from PHBV production can also be managed through Contarina's existing treatment infrastructure, reinforcing the integration of the new process within the wider waste-management system.
AHP-derived
cellulose valorisation
line
Spresiano
Province of Treviso, Italy
The second SOWISE+ line will be integrated with Contarina's new recycling facility for post-consumer absorbent hygiene products in Spresiano. The underlying AHP recycling plant, supported through Italy's Recovery and Resilience Plan, has a treatment capacity of approximately 5,000 tonnes of AHP waste per year and provides the primary infrastructure for recovering cellulose from this complex waste stream.
Within SOWISE+, a dedicated add-on purification module based on technology developed by i-FORIA will upgrade the recovered cellulose by further removing contaminants and improving its quality. The new unit will be fully integrated into the recycling plant and is designed to produce up to 700 tonnes per year of high-quality, virgin-like cellulose, targeting purity above 96% and improved suitability for downstream industrial applications.
The project will therefore demonstrate not only the recovery of cellulose from used absorbent products, but also how this secondary raw material can be upgraded to a quality suitable for incorporation into new bio-based materials and products.
One integrated
SOWISE+ concept
Although the two production lines are located at different Contarina facilities, they form a single integrated SOWISE+ flagship concept. Their outputs — PHBV and recovered cellulose — will feed the project's downstream material and product-development activities.
The flagship will demonstrate the complete pathway from municipal waste collection to secondary raw materials and, ultimately, to market-oriented bio-based products. By integrating new valorisation technologies with existing municipal infrastructure, SOWISE+ aims to show how waste-management operators can become active participants in circular bio-based value chains.
Biowaste-to-PHBV
flagship line
Trevignano
Province of Treviso, Italy
The main SOWISE+ production line will be installed at Contarina's existing biowaste-treatment site in Trevignano. The location already hosts full-scale composting and anaerobic digestion facilities, together with biomethane production infrastructure, providing the operational setting and stable feedstock supply required for industrial demonstration. Approximately 650 m² of the site will accommodate the new SOWISE+ equipment.
AHP-derived
cellulose valorisation
line
Spresiano
Province of Treviso, Italy
The second SOWISE+ line will be integrated with Contarina's new recycling facility for post-consumer absorbent hygiene products in Spresiano. The underlying AHP recycling plant, supported through Italy's Recovery and Resilience Plan, has a treatment capacity of approximately 5,000 tonnes of AHP waste per year and provides the primary infrastructure for recovering cellulose from this complex waste stream.
Within SOWISE+, a dedicated add-on purification module based on technology developed by i-FORIA will upgrade the recovered cellulose by further removing contaminants and improving its quality. The new unit will be fully integrated into the recycling plant and is designed to produce up to 700 tonnes per year of high-quality, virgin-like cellulose, targeting purity above 96% and improved suitability for downstream industrial applications.
The project will therefore demonstrate not only the recovery of cellulose from used absorbent products, but also how this secondary raw material can be upgraded to a quality suitable for incorporation into new bio-based materials and products.
One integrated
SOWISE+ concept
Although the two production lines are located at different Contarina facilities, they form a single integrated SOWISE+ flagship concept. Their outputs — PHBV and recovered cellulose — will feed the project's downstream material and product-development activities.
The flagship will demonstrate the complete pathway from municipal waste collection to secondary raw materials and, ultimately, to market-oriented bio-based products. By integrating new valorisation technologies with existing municipal infrastructure, SOWISE+ aims to show how waste-management operators can become active participants in circular bio-based value chains.